10 Tips For Hunting Deer With Dogs

If you plan to start using your dog for hunting deer, these 10 tips for hunting deer with dogs will probably prove very useful in training and using your dog for hunting. Hunting deer with dogs can be a fun experience for both you and the dog, but you need to make sure you’re doing everything correctly for this to happen. If you’re ready to start hunting deer with dogs and improving your game, check out these great tips!

Make sure the dog is well trained. Of course, this is the first tip because it is the most important. A well-trained dog will perform the best during a hunting excursion, so make sure that your training is adequate.

Check the legality in your states for hunting deer with dogs. Believe it or not, it is illegal in many states to go hunting deer with dogs. You can get slapped with a hefty fine or you might even have to end up putting your pup down. To avoid any complications like these, simply check with hunting laws in your area about hunting deer with dogs.

Remember that this is a sport. This really might be one of the best tips for hunting deer with dogs, because many hunters forget that they are simply there to have fun. If something ends up going wrong, don’t over-punish the dog because of it. This may be counter-productive and your dog may perform poorly during hunting excursions.

Of course, dogs are very alert by sight, but don’t forget that they’re sense of smell is sharp as well. Dogs are very good at sniffing out particular scents, so it’s completely worth it to take advantage of this. Make sure that you’ve trained the dog to sniff out deer so that he relies more on his sense of smell.

One of the best tips for hunting deer with dogs is to remember to allow the dog to get enough exercise while at home. Hunting dogs need more exercise than regular canines do because of the amount of running they need to do during a hunting excursion. Keep this in mind so that your dog can be as swift and strong as possible.

Use an electric collar during the hunting excursion. Because silence is so important while hunting, it’s important to incorporate the use of an electric collar to punish a dog for not obeying a command.

Try to start bringing your dog with you on hunting trips while it’s young. You may have heard the old adage, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” This goes hand-in-hand with hunting dogs. It’s best to get dogs used to hunting when they are young so that they are extremely comfortable with it.

Train the dog to chase targets. You might want to use decoys like dummy animals to train your dog to do this, but it will help out while hunting.

Make sure your dog is comfortable around people so that it doesn’t act uncomfortably when others come along to hunt. Some dogs might perform the best when it’s just he and his owner hunting, but this isn’t okay if you plan to hunt alongside others in the future. Make sure that the dog is around people a lot so that he is comfortable in situations where there are multiple people.

The dog needs to be used to the sound of a gun. Face it—if your dog can’t handle the sound of a gun, it will be almost pointless to bring him hunting. While at home, cause loud noises such as a clap of your hands to occur, and make sure the dog associates it with enjoyable experiences. For example, while the dog is eating, clap your hands loudly. Doing this repeatedly will help him get used to loud sounds!